Interesting, because I’ve had a couple of interesting experiences now that I think about it over the past few months. On their own, I didn’t really recognize a pattern, but now that I look at them collectively, I’m becoming a bit more suspicious…
I bought a pair of web reins from them, and less than six months later, they stitching/glue was coming undone. Like FF, I had kind of chalked it up to “stop buying cheap stuff”…but then, I bought some of the Lorenzini stirrups, and after a few months, they started showing rust spots on them! I emailed SP about them, and they asked me to send them some pictures, which I did. A few days later, I got recommendations (I think from the manufacturer) about how to remove the rust using lemon juice, and suggesting that I try not to get them wet!!!
And those weren’t cheap - over $200. I was really surprised that at no point did SP offer to exchange them, especially given what a new and trendy product they are.
Then I called about my personalized item that was ordered on 12/6, and they said that they had thought it would come back in stock, but didn’t until just last week, so it had now gone to the customization department, and I should be receiving it sometime in the next 7-10 days. Like FF, this was a Xmas present, so that part has been effectively ruined. What was different from in the past, was that there wasn’t really any attempt to make up for what was clearly a mistake on their part. They didn’t offer to ship it faster once it finally gets done, or offer anything else to try and make me less unhappy.
I bought new tall boots from them just after Xmas, and while they were great about answering my questions about boot sizing, the lady on the phone said I now have 60 days to decide whether I’m happy with them, whereas in the past, they would stand behind the products they sold for any length of time.
I have always bought from SP because they stand behind their products, and don’t give you the same runaround that Dover does. I see that total commitment to their customers starting to slowly erode, which makes me very sad.
